Liberia

In the wake of Ebola, clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene are more vital than ever.

Liberia

Capital:

Monrovia

Population:

4.5 million

Area:

111, 369

km2

Lush and green with rainforests, Liberia is one of the world’s wettest countries. But it lacks vital networks to reach everyone with clean drinking water.

Liberia’s history is shaped by two devastating civil wars, both of which wiped out infrastructure that could provide water and sanitation to people. The country has developed significantly since, with around two-thirds of Liberians now able to access a reliable source of clean water. President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is also committed to solving the crisis – and is Africa’s Goodwill Ambassador for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene too.

But an enormous challenge remains. Eight in ten people still have no decent toilet and have to go outside instead. This easily spreads illness and contaminates ground water sources, many of which are already at risk from increased industrial and mining pollution.

3.7 million people don't have a decent toilet.

That's more than 8 in every 10 people.

Around 3 in 10 people don't have clean water.

That's 1.3 million people still without this essential.

Over 700 children under 5 die a year from diarrhoea.

Caused by dirty water and poor toilets.

What does WaterAid do in Liberia?

We install taps and toilets and so much more – from influencing national policies and budgets to giving people the knowledge and the confidence to claim their human rights. Water and toilets should be normal for everyone, everywhere, and in Liberia we are helping make that a reality.

In 2014, after a successful trial project, we were about to launch our joint Liberia and Sierra Leone programme when an outbreak of Ebola swept across the country – poor hygiene and dirty water helped it to spread.

We resumed work in 2015, collaborating with communities to make safe water, sanitation and hygiene solutions that will protect their health into the future.

Clean water after Ebola

WaterAid/Carielle Doe

"Water is important. Without water, I cannot do my work and the clinic cannot run, the toilets will not be clean, nurses cannot treat the patients."

Yeartee Barteh, 39

Yeartee Barteh is a cleaner at the Pipeline Health Centre in Paynesville, Monrovia.

She used to walk to a well every morning because the clinic did not have its own water supply. But often the well did not have enough either, so she would pay children to find water elsewhere for her.

During the Ebola outbreak, Yeartee’s job became much harder and more dangerous. She had to clean constantly to prevent the spread of the disease, but it was hard to find the amount of water she needed to do so. The chlorine-treated water she used was so strong it made her skin peel.

One day, she was sent home and quarantined – an Ebola patient had stayed at the clinic and her managers feared she may have contracted it too. “21 days passed, I was alright,” she says. But others were not so fortunate. “The patient died, and the doctor who treated them also died."

By bringing running water to the health centre, we have been able to make life easier and safer for everyone in the community. Yeartee is excited: “Drawing water is my greatest challenge. What I need to make my job better is a good running water system because water is everything.”

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